Savoir que et la notion de présupposition

Abstract : Savoir que and presupposition in French This work aims at studying the French construction savoir que in terms of presupposition. The main basis of this study is the logical definition of presupposition, according to which the existence of a truth value for the sentence Il sait que Pierre va partir = p demands that the proposition Pierre va partir = q be true. In the first place, I shall discuss the possible interpretations of -q is true-, first in a logical framework, and second, within a semantic-pragmatic framework. Assuming then that -q is true-, the factivity of French verb savoir will be examined and discussed. Finally, the role of the speaker will be analyzed and four parameters will be put forward and taken into account: the speaker, the modal subject, the intrinsic modality of the proposition and the addressee.